Our Country Friends

Our Country Friends, Gary Shteyngart’s fifth novel, was published on November 2, 2021, by Random House. Shteyngart, who writes literary fiction and often approaches topics from a satirical lens, tackles the global COVID-19 pandemic in Our Country Friends. The novel belongs to the emergent genre of “pandemic literature” and takes place over the first six months of the crisis, using circumstances similar to the early stages of the pandemic lockdowns. There are virtual doctors’ appointments, social distancing, and masking, albeit at an isolated and relatively safe country estate. One of the primary characters, Sasha Senderovsky, shares a similar background as the author; like Shteyngart, Senderovsky is an author who was born in St. Petersburg before coming to the US as a young child. This guide explores themes of isolation and loneliness as well as the conflicts between rural and urban residents in areas such as upstate New York, where the novel takes place.

This guide references the 2022 Random House Trade Paperback Edition.

Content Warning: This guide contains references to the murder of George Floyd and child abuse, as well as depictions of racism and antisemitism. In addition, the source text uses racist and antisemitic language, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.